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Thursday, 28 July 2016

349) Platinum Jubilee of India’s First Philatelic Bureau set up at Mumbai: A Special Cover issued by Karnataka Postal Circle, Department of Posts, India on 21.06.2016:

349)
Platinum Jubilee of India’s First Philatelic Bureau set up at Mumbai: A Special
Cover issued by Karnataka Postal Circle, Department of Posts, India on
21.06.2016:

Setting
up the First Philatelic Bureau in India - History:

The First Philatelic
Bureau in India was set up on 21.06.1941 during the British Raj at
Bombay GPO (present Day Mumbai GPO) to cater to the interests of Philatelists.
Bombay Philatelic Bureau was the only Bureau in India which was functioning
alone for over seven years.

Thereafter, on 15.08.1948,
nine other Philatelic Bureaux were set up in different State Capitals of
India – Calcutta (present day Kolkata), Cuttack, Delhi, Lucknow, Madras
(present day Chennai), Nagpur, Patna, Shillong and Shimla vide Postal Notice
no. 31 dated 06.08.1948.

On 21.06.2016,
Mumbai Philatelic Bureau has completed 75 years of specialised services
to Philatelists. This Bureau is presently the largest Philatelic Bureau in
India and is also functioning as an International Bureau. It has more around
100 foreign and 5000 domestic account holders.

With a view to celebrate
this momentous occasion in the history of the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau, a
Philatelic Seminar was organised by Maharashtra Postal Circle at the Conference
Hall in the Chief Postmaster General’s Office, Mumbai on 21.06.2016 itself.

Interestingly,
this was the first ever Philatelic Seminar held by the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau.

In the evening, a Special
Cover was released to commemorate the occasion by the Mumbai Postal Circle.

Products
& Services provided by the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau:

The Mumbai Philatelic
Bureau’s endeavour is to provide a variety of Philatelic collectibles.

Presently, the Mumbai Philatelic
Bureau is engaged in providing the following activities to the Philatelists and
General Public:

- Commemorative and
Special Stamps

- Definitive and Services
Postage Stamps (on the first day of issue)

- Postal Stationery (on
the first day of issue)

- First Day Covers (FDCs)

- Information Brochures on
Stamps

- First Day Cancellations
and Special Cancellations

- Collector’s Packs

- Thematic Packs

- Miniature Sheets

In addition, the Bureau
retails Philatelic Accessories, Literature and Curios. Stamp Collectors
can have a standing supply order with the Bureau through a Philatelic
Deposit Account.

Some of the other
activities of the Bureau include conducting Philatelic Workshops,
assisting in opening Philatelic Clubs in Schools andEducational
Institutions, conducting Stamp Design Competitions for School
Children, organising Exhibitions and maintaining a Philatelic Library.

A
Special Cover issued by the Karnataka Postal Circle, Department of Posts, India,
commemorating the Platinum Jubilee (75
Years) of the setting up of the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau on 21.06.2016:

On the occasion of
completion of 75 Years (Platinum Jubilee) of the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau, a
Special Cover was also released by the Karnataka Postal Circle at Bengaluru on
21.06.2016 itself. I have received this Special Cover through the epostoffice,
New Delhi.

The Front of the Special
Cover issued by Karnataka Postal Circle at Bengaluru on 21.06.2016

On the Front of the
Special Cover issued on the occasion by Bengaluru are images of postage stamps
issued in 1920, 1941 and very recently in 2016, symbolising the journey of
Indian Postage Stamps over the years. On top of the Special Cover is written “Bharat Ke Pratham Dak Tikit Bureau Ke 75
Saal” (in Hindi and Kannada). Also seen is a printed stamp bearing the
inscription “75 Years of First Philatelic Bureau in India – 1941-2016- 21st
June” (in English). The Rs.5/- Stamp is that of the International Day of Yoga
2015, aptly chosen, because 21st June on which the Platinum Jubilee
of the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau fell, is also the UN Designated International
Yoga Day.

The Cancellation is
inscribed “Philatelic Bureau” and shows an image of the Council House – “Vidhana Souda”. The Cancellation is
dated “21.06.2016” and is of Bengaluru GPO.

“In India, the first
Philatelic Bureau was established on 21st June 1941 at Mumbai GPO to
cater to the requirements of enthusiastic Philatelists. It was the only Bureau
that served across the country for 7 years. This special Cover is issued to
commemorate the 75 years of the first Philatelic Bureau in India”.

On the bottom right is
mentioned the name of the issuing office: Karnataka Postal Circle, Bengaluru
and the approval number KTK/08/2016 alongside which is the logo of India Post." Posted on 13.03.2017:

I had made an enquiry from the Mumbai Philatelic Bureau around end-June 2016, to let me know as to how I could acquire one of the SpecialCovers (SCs) issued by them for my personal collection, but, unfortunately, there was a stony silence from the Bureau and no response was received by me (Strange! I thought they would be actively celebrating the landmark crossed by the Philatelic Bureau and answering customer enquiries with enthusiasm promptly). As such, I had to rely on the Special Cover issued by the Karnataka Postal Circle to put up this post.

Now, I have received the Special Cover issued by the Maharashtra Postal Circle from the epostoffice New Delhi a few days ago:

The Front of the Special Cover (SC)

This face of the Special Cover shows on the left, inter alia, the Gateway of India opposite the iconic Taj Hotel in Mumbai, the Bandra-Worli Sea-Link (which is a cable-stayed bridge that links Bandra in the Westurn suburbs of Mumbai to Worli in South Mumbai. Also mentioned is "Mumbai GPO Philatelic Bureau Ke 75 Varsh" (in Hindi) and "75 Years of Mumbai GPO Philatelic Bureau" (in English). On the top right is a 500 Paise or Rs.5/- stamp issued by India Post in 2004 showing various services offered by India Post. The Cancellation Stamp is of Mumbai GPO and is dated 21.06.2016.

The Back of the Special CoverOn the Back of the Special Cover is mentioned "Philatelic Bureau Mumbai GPO, Bharat Ka Pahla Philatelic Bureau, 21.06.2016 Ko 75 Varsh Poore Kar Raha Hai" (in Hindi) and "Philatelic Bureau, Moumbai GPO , India's first Philatelic Bureau, completes 75 years on 21.06.2016".

Also seen on this face are the logos of India Post and the Department of Posts.

About Me

I am Rajeev Prasad, a retired State Bank of India officer who had been collecting coins in a shoe box without having a serious interest. Only after quitting my job I got the time to take serious interest in developing my coin collection into a hobby. A pity, because I would have had more opportunity to lay my hands on more 'exclusive coins' while in the Bank. Anyway, as they say,better late than never. If you have any views to share with me regarding this blog , please contact me on my email rajeevprasad1208@gmail.com. I also have a twitter account @prasad_rajeev.
I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The four anna/twenty five paise coin passes away), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks .